It wasnt how Ryne Stanek planned to celebrate his 33rd birthday. As he was getting ready for his game with the Mariners on Friday night against the White Sox in Chicago, news came down that he was being traded to the red-hot Mets. It was pretty odd, the hard-throwing right-hander said before , his first game with his new team. I was not expecting to get traded on my birthday, but such is the life we live here. Ryne Stanek Getty Images It was a surprise, since it was a trade between two playoff contenders. Both are considered buyers ahead of Tuesdays trade deadline. But, clearly, Stanek, who did not pitch Ken Griffey Jersey in Saturdays lo s, was valued by the Mets, who were in need of quality relievers, particularly with Dedniel Nunez going on the 15-day injured list Friday with a right pronator strain (forearm). Explore More Its always good to be wanted. Thats a part of it. Its exciting, Stanek said. You want to win, you want to come into a team and you want to win, and theyve been doing that. If I can help, thats great. Thats what I would love to do and want to do and thats why I want to be here. The plan, according to manager Carlos Mendoza, is for Stanek to immediately be used in high-leverage spots late in games. With the Mariners this season, Stanek had a 4.38 in 39 innings pitched with 44 strikeouts and 17 walks. He also has seven saves and has limited right-handed hitters to a .213 average and .638 OPS. Stanek features a four-seam fastball that sits in the high-90s, a split-finger fastball and slider. Stanek has some comfort in joining the Mets. Hes very close to reliever Phil Maton they were teammates with the Astros and works out with outfielder Harrison Bader in the offseason. He has never spent time in New York City, aside from coming in on road trips to play the Mets and Yankees. Delivering insights on all things Amazins Sign up for Inside the Mets by Mike Puma, exclusively on Sports+ Thank you By clicking above you agree to the and . Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Its definitely different, Im excited to see what its about, he said. Itll be good to get to branch out and see the real parts of New York, as opposed to where we stay. Stanek has given up runs in his last three outings and recently dealt with back spasms, although he didnt use that as an excuse for his recent struggles. The back i sue has since improved. Prior to those last three appearances, his ERA stood at 3.55. Just was a little sloppy with my command, trying to be really fine and kind of tinkering with some things mechanically, he said. Kind of honed in on what I was trying to do before and feel [Im] where I need to be now. Im not going to blame anything, just didnt execute. Just was a little sloppy with my command, trying to be really fine and kind of tinkering with some things mechanically, he said. Kind of honed in on what I was trying to do before and feel [Im] where I need to be now. Im not going to blame anything, just didnt execute. Ty France Jersey